By: Jason Wagstaffe

Jason Wagstaffe — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 22:48:46 +0000

Kevin, once again you have provided another thought provoking opinion on what is currently transpiring in our “industry” or “sector”. My background in mining and specifically underground coal mining, although I branched out over the years in industry. There is a common phrase that is widely used to describe the changes in mining legislation in both our country and the UK mining industry, which is where our legislation came from, and that is: Our legislation is written with blood. Whenever a fatality or major loss of life occurs in the mining industry, legislative change is introduced to fill a “hole” that existed, which allowed the incident that caused the fatality to occur. I can cite at least 10 examples over the past 50 years where significant legislative change has occurred after a loss of life on a mine site. We have slowed down those changes since the introduction of the model WHS legislation (which in NSW includes mining). In QLD is has completely stopped. When those changes occur, it has been on the back of consultation with the workers (union lead), Mine Management, Government and families of those lost. Outside of the NSW/QLD mining industry, no Australian jurisdiction has made immediate significant changes to its legislation after a loss of life. The NSW, and up until very recently QLD, has seen a significant reduction in the loss of life at mine sites, so much so that farming is now “more dangerous” than underground mining.

Comments on: “show me the bodies”

By: Jason Wagstaffe